The present invention relates generally to collision mitigation and avoidance systems for automotive vehicles, and more particularly, to a method and system for estimating collision severity between a host vehicle and an impending target object during assessment of a potential collision event.
Collision warning and countermeasure systems are becoming more widely used. Collision warning systems and countermeasure systems can decrease the probability of and the energy imparted in a potential collision or injury. Collision warning systems provide a vehicle operator increased knowledge and awareness of threatening objects or vehicles within a close proximity so as to reduce the probability of colliding with those objects. Countermeasure systems exist in various passive and active forms. Some countermeasure systems are used to potentially decrease the energy of a collision, while others are used to aid in the prevention and reduction of injury to a vehicle operator.
Collision warning systems and countermeasure systems currently exist in various forms. Certain collision warning systems and countermeasure systems are able to sense a vehicle or object in a close proximity to a host vehicle and warn the host vehicle operator, such that the operator can take precautionary steps to prevent a collision or injury. Other collision warning systems and countermeasure systems activate passive or active countermeasures such as air bags, load limiting seat belts, or brake control whereby the system itself aids in preventing a collision or injury.
To further prevent injury, a better understanding and determination of collision severity is desired. Knowledge of collision severity corresponding to a potential collision event can allow for refined preventative countermeasure actions to be performed before the collision event occurs, over existing collision countermeasure systems, to further decrease the severity and probability of an injury.
A good estimate of collision severity between a host vehicle and an impending target object requires knowledge of velocities and masses of both the host vehicle and the target object. Upon determining the velocities and masses of the host vehicle and the target object, kinetic energy of each is ascertainable, which may then be related to collision severity of a potential collision event.
Velocity and mass of a host vehicle is readily obtainable. On the other hand velocity and mass determination of the target object is more difficult to obtain. Current active electro-magnetic wave ranging devices such as radar and lidar are capable of measuring velocity, but are incapable of measuring mass of the target object.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an improved safety countermeasure system for an automotive vehicle with increased collision severity intelligence.